CVE-2018-2791 in WebCenter Sites
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebCenter Sites component of Oracle Fusion Middleware (subcomponent: Advanced UI). Supported versions that are affected are 11.1.1.8.0, 12.2.1.2.0 and 12.2.1.3.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle WebCenter Sites. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle WebCenter Sites, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle WebCenter Sites accessible data as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle WebCenter Sites accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.2 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2791 resides within Oracle WebCenter Sites, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that provides content management and web publishing capabilities. This specific flaw exists in the Advanced UI subcomponent and affects multiple supported versions including 11.1.1.8.0, 12.2.1.2.0, and 12.2.1.3.0, making it a widespread concern across various Oracle Fusion Middleware deployments. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage it without requiring specialized skills or extensive preparation, posing significant risk to organizations relying on these systems. The attack vector operates through HTTP network access, meaning that an unauthenticated attacker can potentially compromise the system simply by sending malicious requests over the network without requiring any prior authentication credentials.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows for unauthorized access to critical data within Oracle WebCenter Sites, potentially enabling attackers to gain complete access to all accessible data within the system. Additionally, the flaw permits unauthorized update, insert, or delete operations on some of the accessible data, creating both confidentiality and integrity threats simultaneously. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 8.2 reflects the severity of impact, with high confidentiality impact and low integrity impact, indicating that while the primary concern is data exposure, the system's integrity is also compromised. The vector notation (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N) reveals that the attack requires network access with low complexity, no privileges, but does require human interaction from users other than the attacker. This human interaction requirement typically means that victims must perform specific actions such as clicking on malicious links or visiting compromised web pages, making the attack more subtle but potentially more effective in real-world scenarios.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2791 extends beyond the immediate compromise of Oracle WebCenter Sites, as successful attacks can significantly affect additional products within the Oracle Fusion Middleware ecosystem. This cascading effect demonstrates how vulnerabilities in one component can create broader security implications across interconnected systems. Organizations may face unauthorized access to sensitive content management data, potentially including proprietary information, customer data, or confidential business documents stored within the WebCenter Sites environment. The vulnerability's potential to enable complete access to all accessible data makes it particularly dangerous for enterprises that rely heavily on content management for business operations and customer interactions.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) framework, where this flaw aligns with weakness categories related to insufficient input validation and improper access control mechanisms. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under initial access techniques, specifically leveraging network-based exploitation methods to establish unauthorized access. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected Oracle WebCenter Sites versions, implementation of network segmentation to limit access to the vulnerable component, and deployment of web application firewalls to monitor and filter HTTP traffic. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access patterns. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing authentication mechanisms and access controls to reduce the attack surface, while security teams should develop incident response procedures specifically addressing content management system compromises to ensure rapid detection and remediation of potential exploitation attempts.